Hungry? Tough! There's transfats in that.

From Beyond the Broken Spectrum

Bloomberg partly to blame for city’s starvation

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is just another reason why people there are starving. According to a local soup kitchen, they have to constantly throw out donations of perfectly good food due to the city’s law banishing trans fat that took effect in July 2008. The law bans everyone with health department food licenses, including emergency food providers, from serving any foods with trans fat in them.

Government running wild anyone?

Another way to prevent the people from eating is Senator Dianne Feinstein's new bill.

The bill would amend the Poultry Products Inspection Act, the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to prohibit the sale of any processed poultry, meat and FDA-regulated food that has not either undergone a pathogen reduction treatment, or been certified to contain no verifiable traces of pathogens.

The bill would also require labels on ground beef, or any other ground meat product, specifically naming every cut of meat that is contained in the product.

Finally, the bill would do away with what she called loopholes in current laws that allow for producers to add coloring, synthetic flavorings and spices to their products without informing the consumer.

"By enacting these simple changes, the Processed Food Safety Act will drastically reduce the presence of pathogens in our food and improve the ability of the consumer to make informed choices about the products they wish to eat," Feinstein said in a news release.

Here is some wording from the bill. You can read the bill in full here.

(A) each ingredient in the poultry or poultry product that was added, modified, or otherwise handled by the person has undergone a pathogen reduction treatment in accordance with requirements of the Secretary that will reduce the presence of pathogens of public health concern and other harmful food borne contaminants; or

`(B) the person has tested and certified that each ingredient in the poultry or poultry product that was added, modified, or otherwise handled by the person contains no verifiable traces of pathogens.'.

The thing is...do you believe they can completely eliminate pathogens? And why would they want to anyway? Understand that 'pathogen reduction treatment' can mean irradiation or washing fat (which will later be added to ground beef from animals imported from all over the world to add bulk and texture to those $1.00 hamburgers) with ammonia. See Food Inc Part 4 on Marler Blog.

If they really wanted to solve the problem they could do it by cleaning up the way feedlots are run for starters. And, outlaw GMOs. But they won't do either, or in fact any real solutions, because it would mean a loss of profits for the big boys.

I'm just glad, no - estatic - that I do not have to buy meat from the grocery store and I pray that I never have to, ever again.

Food Safety, all the rage

Our own Roger Allbee in this morning's Burlington FreePress. Just be aware that his reference to Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) comes from the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN).

Good Agricultural Practices are "practices that address environmental, economic and social sustainability for on-farm processes, and result in safe and quality food and non-food agricultural products" (FAO COAG 2003 GAP paper).

So, in other words, the UN is driving the standards of agriculture in Vermont and Roger Allbee is a part of its implementation.

My Turn: Food safety more important than ever

Even in dark economic times, there is a strong positive energy and passion for agriculture in Vermont. This passion was highlighted by the nearly 100 people who turned out to testify about agriculture at a public farm forum held by the Legislature recently.

The variety of topics and concerns brought up as well as the individuals in attendance underscore the diversity of agriculture in Vermont and the vital role it plays in our communities, society and economic well-being. A recent survey showed Vermonters (over 97 percent) place great value for their quality of life on the state's working landscape and heritage.

Agriculture means big business to Vermont. The dairy industry alone contributes over $2 billion to Vermont's economy, with over 15,000 jobs directly or indirectly associated with agriculture. And it is critical that we maintain current food safety standards in Vermont.

Recent U.S. Census figures show that agriculture is indeed growing and expanding in Vermont. The number of farms increased by 6 percent from 2002 to 2007, with a trend toward starting and operating smaller, diversified farms. Vermont is at the vanguard of emerging sectors like agricultural tourism, New England wine and spirits production, artisan cheese, and the high-quality specialty foods that have created a brand name for our state around the world. Vermont's farmers are both the traditional center of our communities and our greatest entrepreneurs.

Today we are seeing a return of consumers to buying local. I call this a "renaissance of the past." The excitement and passion expressed by our farmers is mirrored in consumers. This excitement is particularly strong as consumers return to buying local, learning where their food comes from and developing new skills in working with locally available ingredients. Increasingly, we are also creating long-term customers from visitors who enjoy a Vermont experience and continue to buy Vermont products, often online, after they have left.

Vermont's reputation for quality and the highest of standards is why companies locate here -- to capitalize on the Vermont brand name. And consumers seek Vermont products because they know they are fresh and safe.

But we have also learned from our past. Some issues raised at the farm forum included regulations in relation to dairy and meat processing in the state. Over the years, safety measures have been developed to protect consumers' health and our food supply, and that protects our producers, as well. In fact, many retail outlets are now requiring local producers to obtain Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification before they will sell their products. As a state, we need to do everything in our power to make sure Vermont products are safe, consumers are protected, and farmers have the ability to produce the high-quality products we are known for.

Over 60 percent of milk and dairy products produced in Vermont are consumed by several million people within a few hours of Vermont. Companies like Ben & Jerry's, Cabot Cheese, Shelburne Farms, Grafton Cheese, Vermont Butter and Cheese, the many small artisan cheese makers in the state, and the numerous specialty food producers depend immensely on the Vermont name and thus the Vermont brand. In this time of increased concern over food safety, now is not the time for the Legislature to loosen food safety standards in Vermont that could jeopardize Vermont's good reputation in these and other markets.

Roger Allbee of Townsend is the secretary of the Agency of Agriculture